SEATTLE — Prosecutors sentenced an Everett man to six years of prison time for robbing a Kirkland Wells Fargo Bank in March 2012.
James Daniel Knupp, 68, faced Judge Ricardo S. Martinez at the Western District of Washington U.S. District Court on Thursday.
Knupp is to pay $2,858 in restitution and will serve three years of probation after his sentence is served.
Knupp pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery on Aug. 26 after a lengthy psychological examination took place to determine if he was competent to stand trial.
On March 7, 2012, Knupp entered the Wells Fargo Bank at 12560 120th Ave. NE in Kirkland wearing a bright orange shirt, black nylon mask, a hat and gloves, according a Kirkland Police Department police report.
He walked to the back of the bank and refused to take off the mask when a teller asked him to do so.
A bank employee heard Knupp tell the teller he was “here for the money.” The employee saw him move closer to the teller and state that he robbed banks for a living and not to make a sudden movement.
“[The bank employee] stated that he heard the suspect say to the teller if she put a dye pack in the money, something bad would happen,” police documents say, adding that he reached into his pants, as if he were going to pull out a weapon.
After the teller handed him a wad of cash totaling $5,560, Knupp walked out of the bank. He was later arrested.
Knupp has a history of psychological problems and robbing banks, and was ordered to undergo a competency examination.
The neuropsychological examination revealed that Knupp, a veteran who was once a health care administrator and policeman, suffers from several mental disorders. These include: bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, auditory hallucinations and drug addiction, dementia and cerebrovascular disease.
After serving time in the Vietnam War, his anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder escalated. A fall in 1991 caused a blow to the head, leaving him unconscious for several hours and with a seizure disorder His injuries may have been a factor in his opiate addiction, the documents state.
In 2000, Knupp was convicted of bank robbery and served about four years in prison. He was later convicted a second time and served more than 12 years.
Knupp will serve out his sentence at Federal Medical Center Rochester, a federal prison in Minnesota for inmates requiring specialized or long-term medical or mental health care.
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